The Quran

Preface

فَرَجَعَ موسىٰ إِلىٰ قَومِهِ غَضبانَ أَسِفًا ۚ قالَ يا قَومِ أَلَم يَعِدكُم رَبُّكُم وَعدًا حَسَنًا ۚ أَفَطالَ عَلَيكُمُ العَهدُ أَم أَرَدتُم أَن يَحِلَّ عَلَيكُم غَضَبٌ مِن رَبِّكُم فَأَخلَفتُم مَوعِدي

Yusuf Ali

So Moses returned to his people in a state of indignation and sorrow. He said: “O my people! did not your Lord make a handsome¹ promise to you? Did then the promise seem to you long (in coming)? Or did ye desire that Wrath should descend from your Lord on you, and so ye broke your promise to me?”

There are two promises referred to in this verse, the promise of God and the promise of the people of Israel. They form one Covenant, which was entered into through their leader Moses. See 20:80, and 2:63, n. 78. God’s promise was to protect them and lead them to the Promised Land, and their promise was to obey God’s Law and His commandments.